The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

In May, 43 Catholic dioceses and other organizations nationwide filed suit in various federal courts against the HHS mandate. On August 6, the Obama administration filed a brief urging the courts to dismiss the lawsuits, arguing that the organizations have suffered no imminent harm from the mandate, which will not go into effect for religious organizations until August 2013.

In responses filed on August 27, the Catholic organizations discussed the imminent harm caused by the mandate.

“The impact of the mandate will be so severe that the archdiocese and other Catholic organizations are being forced to consider the impossible choices the government has given us,” the Archdiocese of Washington said in a statement.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, who revealed earlier this month that he has been diagnosed with cancer for the 2nd time, will begin chemotherapy next week.

Cardinal George, who is 75, had undergone radical surgery in 2006 to remove his bladder and prostate; he had subsequently been declared cancer-free. But two weeks ago doctors found cancers in his liver and kidney.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

A series of terrorist bombings outside Damascus have struck Christian targets, testifying to the rising danger of sectarian violence in a country where the Christian minority has previously felt secure.

A bombing on August 27, followed up with two bombs at the funeral for victims of the first blast, caused at least 12 deaths and injured more than 50 people in Jarmana, a predominantly Christian suburb of Damascus. Christian residents report that they are under threat from Muslim extremists.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

August 28, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A lawsuit filed by a homosexual against Liberty University School of Law and various other organizations and individuals for “conspiracy” and “racketeering” is based on lies and is defamatory, according to law school dean Mathew Staver, who says that he will “pursue every recourse” against the plaintiffs for having filed it.

Staver also says that the suit is an attempt to undermine the freedom of speech of pro-family groups in their opposition to homosexual behavior and homosexual parenting.

“This is outrageously frivolous,” Staver told LifeSiteNews.com. “It’s a press release filed in federal court. It is sanctionable, and we will pursue every recourse possible because this suit is defamatory. It’s filled with lies, it’s frivolous, and the attorney who filed it ought to be sanctioned…”

The suit, filed on behalf of Vermont lesbian Janet Jenkins, claims that Liberty University School of Law, Thomas Road Baptist Church, Christian Aid Ministries, and other organizations and individuals are involved in various schemes of “conspiracy” and “racketeering” for allegedly offering support for ex-lesbian Lisa Miller’s and her daughter’s escape from the United States in 2009.

Miller fled the United States after a Vermont court insisted that Jenkins, who was Miller’s ex-partner in a Vermont civil union, be given visits with Miller’s daughter, Isabella. Although Jenkins is unrelated biologically to Isabella, and never adopted her, the court awarded “parent” status to Jenkins, and continued to order visits despite evidence submitted of trauma suffered by Isabella.

After Miller’s disappearance, Vermont judge Richard Cohen ordered that the custody of Isabella be transferred permanently to Jenkins, an order that is unenforceable while Miller remains in hiding outside of the United States.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

In an editorial decrying the statement by Cardinal Sean Brady that the Catholic Church would oppose legalization of abortion in Ireland, the Irish Times has expressed surprise and disappointment that the Church would consider “aggressive political lobbying of the kind more usually found in the United States.”

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

A Pakistani court has ruled that the case of a Down-syndrome girl who was arrested on blasphemy charges should be handled by a juvenile court. The decision, which allows for more lenient treatment, was greeted by Bishop Rufin Anthony as a “positive development” in a case that has sparked international outrage.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

The bishops of Scotland have issued a pastoral message on marriage that was read throughout Scottish parishes on August 26.

“We write to you having already expressed our deep disappointment that the Scottish government has decided to redefine marriage and legislate for same-sex marriage,” the bishops stated. “We take this opportunity to thank you for your past support in defense of marriage and hope you will continue to act against efforts to redefine it.”

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

Any effort to legalize abortion in Ireland will be “vigorously and comprehensively opposed,” the Catholic Primate of All Ireland has promised.

Speaking in Waterford, Cardinal Sean Brady said that there is no need for the Irish government to change abortion law in order to conform to the 2010 judgment of a European court. The court acknowledged the authority of the Irish government to ban abortion, he noted.

Monday, August 27, 2012

As many regular readers know, the past few months have been a financial strain for myself as well as for many of you in this dreadful economy.

I have applied for a new job, as I was just made aware of an opportunity this past Friday. This would be a big improvement for me, and would be a tremendous help. It would also ensure that I have every Sunday off, and would be able to attend Mass every week.

A friend of mine who has been unemployed for awhile has also applied, as there are at least 3 openings.

So please say a prayer on our behalf, and for all affected by the current economic situation.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

The Obama administration’s new strategy to address gender-based violence worldwide makes no mention of China’s one-child policy, which has resulted in millions of forced abortions involving females, forced sterilizations of women and a male population surplus of at least 32 million.

Nor does it mention India, where an average of 11 million abortions take place each year, or around 900,000 a month. Like China, India also faces a skewed gender ratio with nearly 40 million more males than females as a result of the traditional preference for male children.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Texas has an awful futile care law. It permits hospital bioethics committees to impose members/doctors’ values that a patient’s life is not worth living based on quality of life. A story just out shows the injustice of the process–a terrible law about which I write here in more detail.

On August 6, a 12-year-old boy was shot in the head. Even though a reliable diagnosis and prognosis for persistent unconsciousness requires at least 3 months, hospital personnel reportedly went in rapid succession from “donate his organs” to “end his life” mode. From the Spero News story:

But on August 13, the hospital convened an “ethics panel”, a legal entity where under Texas law medical officials can make a decision that care would be futile to restore the quality of a patient’s life. If they decide care would be futile, the hospital can terminate care after 10 days.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

The cathedral church of the Diocese of Charlotte is hosting a continuous Eucharistic vigil for liberty during the Democratic National Convention, which will take place in Charlotte from September 3-6.

“This time of adoration and prayer will focus on petitions for our country, our leaders, and ourselves in atonement for our sins and for the future of our nation,” according to an event announcement. “Among these petitions are the right to live, unthreatened by government mandate, from natural conception to natural death, and for the freedom of conscience and the unhindered worship of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

“We will also ask our Lord for an increase in holy vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life within the Diocese of Charlotte and the wider world.”

Cardinal Keith P. O’Brien has broken-off direct talks with the Scottish government in protest over their decision to back “same-sex marriage.”

“The Cardinal wants to maintain a dialogue with the Scottish government but that can be difficult when you feel that everything you have had to say, to date at least, has been completely ignored,” Peter Kearney, spokesman for Cardinal O’Brien, told CNA Aug. 20.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

The president of the Nigerian bishops’ conference has denounced the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram and called upon European Christians to urge their governments to intervene on behalf of Nigerian Christians.

Boko Haram “is a group that intends to replace the Constitution with Islamic law in order to forcefully convert the people to Islam,” said Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos. “They initially began to attack the government, its institutions and security agencies, then initiated attacks on churches. They want to eliminate churches because they educate and promote culture.”

Friday, August 17, 2012

Well this work day ended on a sour note. I got ready to leave work at 7:00PM, and I see that I have a flat tire. So, I get out the jack, the do-nut spare, etc., and remove the flat. Put the donut on, tighten the lug nuts, lower the car...and the do-nut has no air in it.

So, I go into Walmart (where I work) and ask if they have a portable air compressor I can use. Nope. The one they have won't hold air.

So, I buy one of the inflaters that plugs into the cigarette lighter. Won't connect. Managed to pop out the metal "liner" in the cigarette lighter, and then was able to plug it in and inflate the donut.

Since using the donut won't allow speeds faster than 50, I had to take the side roads home, and arrived at home 2 and a half hours after I got off from work....and yep....I was talking to myself.....and still am.

Now I am going to see if I can find a cheap tire because I can't run on that do-nut for 2 weeks.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

In late July
of 2005, Marie and I had an idea to start a Catholic blog. We had
several discussions about it over the phone, and invited Emmy and
Ginny to join us in contributing to the blogs.

Marie is
from Australia, Emmy is from the Netherlands, Ginny is from Trinidad
and Tobago, and I am from the United States. So our blogs were an
international effort.

We discussed
a name for the blogs, and came up with the name "Faith of the
Fathers". Marie and I discussed the look of the blogs, and
the different blog topics, and decided each of our primary topics
deserved it's own "blog" under the name "Faith of the
Fathers".

So our first
posts were published on July 31, 2005, and now 7 years later, our
blogs are still here and still growing. During our first year we had
the following stats: 55,348 page loads, 26,908 unique visits, with
23,000 first time visits, and 3.908 returning visits. That was a
monthly average of 152 page loads, 74 unique visits, 63 first time
visits, and 11 returning visits.

For the
period of August 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012 we show the following
stats: 214,273 page loads, 170,224 unique visits, with 156,311first
time visits and 13,913 returning visits. That's a monthly average of
585 page loads, 465 unique visits, 427 first time visits, and 38
returning visits (which I would love to see get better). Not too
shabby an increase overall but, it perhaps could have been better if
not for a few setbacks.

The setbacks
that occurred were health related, financially related, and due to
personal obligations as well. First, I had a "light heart
attack" (I think health professionals call it light because they
weren't the one's that had it), and since I had no health insurance
(still don't), and was out of work for about 2 months, I eventually
wasn't able to contribute much. Then Marie's health got bad, and the
others personal obligations prevented them from contributing as
before. I keep their nameshere as contributors because the posts
they wrote are still here, and I will never remove them unless they
ask me to for some reason. Marie apparently removed herself as being
listed as a contributor a couple of years ago, but her posts are
still here, and all the posts by all of them are still worth reading
and reflecting on.

Anyway, it's
7 years later, and "Faith of the Fathers" is still here.
Let's pray and hope for another 7 years!

The following excerpt is from our blog, Church Under Attack. Written by Marie in August of 2005, it is entitled "Why Women Can't Be Priests":

The Ordination of women into the Priesthood seems to be the burning question for this particular century. It has brought much pain and anguish to some Catholic women both laity and religious and also much anger, why is this so when the Church's position has not changed over the centuries?

If women feel they are being unjustly treated or are being disregarded as to their value within The Catholic Church, then contrary to their 'perceived' erroneous opinion that The Church devalues women, in favor of a 'Patriarchal' hierarchy, they are then misinformed. One must then draw the conclusion that outside of the facts the women who feel themselves degraded or devalued is of a personal nature, rather than Church policy!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Yesterday, former head of the Romanian intelligence service Ion Mihai Pacepa discussed with the Register how the Soviets framed Pope Pius XII as an anti-Semitic Nazi sympathizer.

Efforts to muddy Pius’s reputation began in Moscow in a bid to discredit the Catholic Church in Ukraine very soon after World War II. During the Cold War, that campaign of disinformation became known as “Operation Seat 12.”

Pacepa, who defected to the United States in 1978, first made the claims in 2007. He asserts that Rolf’s Hochhuth’s 1963 play The Deputy was used by Soviet intelligence as part of this wider plot to frame Pius. Now, Pacepa is writing a book with on the Soviet plot, called Disinformation. He is collaborating on the work with University of Mississippi professor Ronald J. Rychlak, who doubted Pacepa at first but after spending two years investigating his story became convinced of its veracity.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Before we get to the excerpts from this National Catholic Register article by Edward Pentin, I would like to take this opportunity to say...we told you so!

Back in 2006 (and re-posted later in 2008), on our blog, "Church Under Attack" we wrote two articles on the efforts of Pope Pius XII and the Holy See to aid the plight of the European Jews during the Holocaust. They were entitled Pope Pius XII: Misunderstood and Maligned (part one here and part two here). The only comment received at the time was from a Holocaust denier (who's comments were removed by Steve).

So, I am happy to see that finally, 5 or 6 years later, the rest of the world is finally catching up. It is long past time that Venerable Pope Pius XII was cleared of these calumnious charges, and that his attackers and detractors are fully discredited.

Below are the excerpts from "Claims that Pius XII Was Framed Gaining Support":

Former Romanian spy chief discusses how the myth of 'Hitler's Pope' started with Stalin.

Last month, the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem revised a controversial text on Pope Pius XII used in its exhibition, changing it from an unfairly negative assessment of the wartime Pope and his record in saving the Jews, to one that includes a few arguments in his defense.

But the new text omitted sensational claims, originating from a former Romanian intelligence chief, that efforts to muddy Pius’s reputation began in Moscow very soon after World War II, and that the Soviets later led a campaign of disinformation — called “Operation Seat 12” — against the wartime Pope.

The claims were made in 2007 by General Ion Mihai Pacepa who once headed the Romanian intelligence service before defecting to the United States in 1978. He also claimed that Rolf’s Hochhuth’s 1963 play The Deputy was used by Soviet intelligence as part of this wider plot to frame Pius. Some voiced skepticism of such KGB involvement, including a few sympathetic to Pius’s wartime record. One of those was University of Mississippi professor Ronald J. Rychlak. But rather than let it go, Rychlak spent two years investigating Pacepa’s story. He has since become so convinced of the veracity of it that he is writing a new book with him on the Soviet plot, called Disinformation.

Monday, August 13, 2012

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has announced it will sell some of its large real estate holdings, including the archbishop’s residence, to reduce operating costs in the face of a multi-million dollar deficit.

“The decision to sell these properties was not made lightly, but rather after prayer and careful consideration,” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia said Aug. 13. “Selling these assets will help us as we work to ensure the long-term financial stability and position the archdiocese for future growth. It will also allow us to remain committed to the services and support we provide to the faithful as well as the broader community.”

The archbishop compared the “hard decisions” to what families have to do when their expenses exceed their income.

Friday, August 10, 2012

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers will be hosting a webinar on “Families and Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship” on August 16.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

Writing to Catholics about a November ballot initiative that would implement same-sex marriage in the State of Washington, Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane emphasized that “the Catholic Church has no tolerance for the misuse of this moment to incite hostility towards homosexual persons.”

“This is a big moment for Catholic voters to step back from their party affiliation,” Baltimore archbishop William E. Lori tells me from the Knights of Columbus annual convention in Anaheim, Calif.

For Catholic voters in November, Lori advises, “The question to ask is this: Are any of the candidates of either party, or independents, standing for something that is intrinsically evil, evil no matter what the circumstances? If that’s the case, a Catholic, regardless of his party affiliation, shouldn’t be voting for such a person.”

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

At a campaign appearance at the University of Denver, President Barack Obama lauded mandatory insurance coverage of contraception and asserted that “we worked with the Catholic hospitals and universities to find a solution that protects both religious liberty and a woman’s health.”

“And the direction that you choose -- the direction you choose when you walk into that voting booth three months from now will have a direct impact not just on your lives, but on the lives of your children and the lives of your grandchildren,” he said. “And that’s true for everybody. But it’s especially true for the women in this country, from working moms to college students to seniors … When it comes to a woman’s right to make her own health care choices, they want to take us back to the policies more suited to the 1950s than the 21st century.”

“The decisions that affect a woman’s health, they’re not up to politicians, they’re not up to insurance companies, they’re up to you,” he continued. “And you deserve a president who will fight to keep it that way.”

Thursday, August 09, 2012

By now you have seen the stunning footage of Charlotte based abortionist Ashutosh Ron Virmani’s vile assertion to a group of pro-life Christians that aborting babies saves taxpayers’ money. In the video, Virmani also callously conflates that rid[ding] the world of “ugly black babies” would prevent shootings “like the one in Colorado.”(Video)

Even Virmani’s political donations seem to reflect his professional practice. As WashingtonExaminer senior analyst Timothy P. Carney points out, Virmani’s political donations have been made almost exclusively to pro abortion Democrats; the single exception being Congressman Sue Myrick, (R-NC) who scores 100 percent from the National Right to Life Committee.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

At the annual assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), members have been asked not to speak to reporters about the issue on everyone’s mind: the LCWR response to a Vatican call for reform of the group.

Sister Patricia Farrell, the LCWR president, told members: “If in your own conscience you cannot understand or perceive confidentiality as anything other than total transparency, we ask you to think about not coming to the executive sessions, not in the interest of ever excluding anyone, but in creating the kind of environment we need to really discern with each other in freedom and openness.”

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Facebook has become a major communications network for people of all ages throughout the world. Created as a way to allow high school friends to keep in touch after heading to college, the social media site has erupted into a place where people are free to bully and free to create offensive, harmful pages. One such page is simply titled “Abortions.”

Despite countless e-mails to Facebook to remove the page, Facebook refuses. It doesn’t consider the page offensive or involved in hate speech despite the fact that the page’s creator continuously posts pictures of a girl who lives with Progeria, calling her ugly and comparing her to vampires. But the Abortions page’s main purpose is to make light of abortion, from comments about all aborted babies being in hell to cartoons of a man kicking a pregnant woman in the belly. The page has over 7,000 likes.

Luckily, there is a page on Facebook called “1,000,000 people to take down the Abortions page.” Unfortunately, it has only just over 1,000 likes. Whether you’re pro-choice or pro-life, you should find the Abortions page offensive, just as it is likely offensive to abortion survivors, women who regret their abortions, and people with disabilities. Report the page to Facebook, and like the page against it. Our voices will change the way the world views abortion and the level of respect we show for others.

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

The Archdiocese of New York has confirmed that Cardinal Timothy Dolan has invited President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney to the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner and that both have accepted the invitation.

Monday, August 06, 2012

Archbishop J. Peter Sartain of Seattle, who has been charged by the Vatican with responsibility for supervising a reform of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), has been told by the group’s leaders that his presence “would not be helpful” at the LCWR’s annual assembly this week.

As the LCWR prepared for the annual meeting, at which members will discuss the Vatican’s demand for reform, the group’s president, Sister Patricia Farrell, told reporters that the group would continue to question Church teachings. She expressed concern that in the Vatican’s eyes, “that questioning is seen as defiance.”

Granted, this post has absolutely nothing to do with my usual faith related posts. The video clip below is from a show that I have watched on Hulu. It is a Korean drama called "The Great Queen SeonDeok", a historical drama about a 7th century queen of Silla, one of the kingdoms of "The Three Kingdoms Period" of Korean history.

Anyway, as I like history, this show got me "hooked" on Korean historical dramas. It has subtitles (which is good since I don't speak Korean) in English.

The excerpt is from Episode 31, and is about the return of the the Field Marshall Munno. The Hwarang (sort of a warrior society of Silla) don't recognize him as he has been gone for so many years, and he gives them a lesson so to speak in respecting one's elders.

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Bishop Jose Ignacio Munilla of San Sebastian in Spain called on local priests and the laity to donate a portion of their salaries to Caritas for families affected by the country's economic crisis.

During Mass on the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola on July 31, Bishop Munilla said he wanted to make “a special invitation” to those concerned about this situation to make “an extraordinary donation” to those experiencing financial difficulties.

“Some may not be able to take on such a huge effort, but perhaps they might be able to join the appeal by Caritas to donate one day’s salary per month. Others might perhaps be able to make a specific donation.”

The following excerpts are from the Catholic News Agency (CNA) article by Michelle Bauman:

Pope Benedict XVI has praised the work of the Knights of Columbus to defend and promote religious liberty within the United States.

In a letter signed by Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Holy Father commended the Knights’ work to support religious liberty at a time “when concerted efforts are being made to redefine and restrict the exercise of the right to religious freedom.”

The following excerpt is from an article by Penny Starr on CNSNews.com:

The Coalition of African American Pastors (CAAP) announced at the National Press Club on Tuesday that the grassroots group - comprised of the more than 3,000 members - is a launching a national campaign to support marriage between one man and one woman and to oppose the Obama administration’s efforts to advance same-sex marriage.

“The time has come for a broad-based assault against the power that be that wants to change our culture to one of men marrying men and women marrying women,” CAAP President William Owens said at the press conference, held to announce the Marriage Mandate campaign, which includes a petition seeking 100,000 signatures pledging support for traditional marriage.

“Mr. President, I’m not going to stand with you, and there are thousands of others across this country that are not going to stand with you with this foolishness,” Owens said.